


Acing It

by icandrawamoth



Series: February Ficlet Challenge 2020 [16]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Jedi: Fallen Order (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Parents, Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, Asexual Cal Kestis, Asexual Character, Asexuality, Coming Out, Family, Family Dinners, Family Feels, Family Fluff, February Ficlet Challenge, February Ficlet Challenge 2020, Gay Parents, Gen, M/M, Married Couple, Parenthood, Prauf and Jaro are the BEST dads
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-20
Updated: 2020-02-20
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:35:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22808725
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/icandrawamoth/pseuds/icandrawamoth
Summary: Prauf is on the verge of asking his son why he hasn't eaten any of his favorite meal and if something is wrong when fourteen-year-old Cal blurts, still staring at his plate, "Dads...I think something is wrong with me."
Relationships: Cal Kestis & Jaro Tapal, Cal Kestis & Prauf, Jaro Tapal/Prauf
Series: February Ficlet Challenge 2020 [16]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1624723
Comments: 4
Kudos: 42
Collections: February Ficlet Challenge 2020





	Acing It

**Author's Note:**

> For February Ficlet Challenge prompt "cake."

Prauf is on the verge of asking his son why he hasn't eaten any of his favorite meal and if something is wrong when fourteen-year-old Cal blurts, still staring at his plate, "Dads...I think something is wrong with me."

Prauf catches his husband's eye, and Jaro frowns in concern. "Why do you think that, Cal?" Jaro asks.

Cal bites his lip, still not looking at either of them. "I know this is weird but, I just-I don't like just worrying about it all by myself all the time." He peeks up through locks of red hair, eyes darting from one of them to the other. "All my friends keep talking about people being hot or pretty or-or sexy, and I just - I don't know. I don't understand it. Sometimes I think I like a girl or a boy, like I might like to hold their hand or hug them, but kissing or sex is just..." His face twists, cheeks very red. "Does that make me weird?"

Prauf puts down his fork, communicating wordlessly with his husband for a moment before he says, "You're still young, Cal. Not feeling those things yet doesn't make you weird."

"What if I never feel them?" Cal asks softly. "What if I'm not normal? What if I never find someone I like like that and I'm alone forever?"

"How long have you been thinking like this?" Jaro asks gently.

"A few months at least," Cal mumbles. "Since that sort of thing started being all my friends could talk about."

"I'm glad you told us," Jaro tells him. "We you're fathers, Cal. We love you. We like when you share with us, and we want to help you. It's hard for us to know exactly what this is like, but let me tell you: even if you never feel those things, that's okay. You don't need sex or a significant other to make you whole."

Cal bites his lip, eyes full.

Prauf reaches over to stroke his son's hair. "What else is there, sweetheart?"

"Aduro says I must just be gay and not want to admit, but that's not true. I don't" - he gestures futilely - " _feel_ anything different when I look at guys than when I look at girls. Sometimes there are like, maybe romantic thoughts, like I said, but never anything physical, and I don't understand."

"It's something we can look into," Prauf promises. "How about after we finish dinner, we do some research. We can help if you want, or we can do it separately, Dad and I and then you on your own and come together later. How does that sound?"

"There's no need to be embarrassed, Cal," Jaro says when the boy doesn't respond. "We may find something that makes you feel better. You're certainly not the only one in the galaxy to ever feel this way. I can guarantee that."

Finally, Cal lets out just a little bit of a smile. "Thank you," he says softly. "I feel a little better already."

Less than an hour later, they've discovered the word "asexual," and Prauf will never forget the look of shock and utter relief on his son's face.

"No sexual attraction," the boy reads off the screen, almost like he can't believe it. "Low or absent interest in sexual activity." He positively beams up at his fathers. "That sounds like me!"

Prauf pulls him into a hug. "I'm glad. Didn't your dad tell you you weren't alone?" Cal nods against him. Prauf thinks he's crying a little but also that it's from relief.

At long last, the boy pulls away and takes the datapad, eyes darting back and forth as he reads more. "Sounds more and more like me," he murmurs.

"And even if it isn't perfectly you, you're still learning about yourself," Jaro tell shim. "This may be your identity for your entire life, or it may change. Either is fine, Cal. Only you get to decide that. We love you with our entire hearts no matter what."

Cal is definitely crying now. He raises a long sleeve to dab at his eyes and manages, "Thank you. I don't know what I would have done if...if it was different."

Now it's Jaro's turn to hug him. "That would never happen. We want to support you. We want you to be happy. We'll all read more about this and decide together how we can do that, okay?"

"Okay." Cal smiles wetly, and Prauf's heart aches at that look, at how much he loves his little family and how much they love one another.

"I saw something about cake being a symbol for asexual people, because you'd theoretically rather have cake than sex," Prauf muses after a moment. He smiles at them. "How about we go out and get one to celebrate?"

Usually, Jaro would complain about the unnecessary sweets (though he'd just as likely eventually give in), but this time he merely smiles back. "I think that's a good idea."

"Chocolate?" Cal proposes, grinning now. This idea he can get behind. "With lots of sprinkles?"

"Anything you want, Cal," Prauf promises.


End file.
